Meadowlands: Pace night standouts look to make noise on Hambo undercard

The Meadowlands on Saturday is fortunate to have a stellar "undercard" to accompany the featured 100th Hambletonian, as well as companion Oaks, and two of the star performers from Meadowlands Pace night will be favored in major stakes during the afternoon. Hambletonian Maturity champion Elista Hanover faces 10 mares in the $181,000 Dr. John R. Steele Memorial, while Meadowlands Pace winner Madden Oaks returns to East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the prohibitive choice in the $227,350 Cane Pace for sophomores.

Trainer Annie Stoebe couldn't be happier with the current condition and form of her 4-year-old standout Elista Hanover as the mare shoots for her third straight stakes triumph.

"She's feeling great," said Stoebe. "She's always been a good-feeling horse and in the long run I think that will help her through the season."

The daughter of International Moni has been more impressive this year than her first two years on the track, and that may have something to do with less equipment.

"She wore elbow boots all last year and we took them off and she's learned to race well without them," said Stoebe.

Adding another dimension to Elista Hanover's arsenal has been Dave Miller's execution in the sulky and his immense confidence in the mare. The two paired for an extraordinary performance in the Hambletonian Maturity on July 12, trotting to a record 2:03 mile and an eighth while making multiple moves to the lead.

Asked if that effort had taxed her mare, Stoebe said: "She was pretty much the same after the race and was throwing herself around. We gave her the usual two days in the field and she was ready for training the following day."

Of course, utilizing the enormous talent of Hall of Fame driver David Miller has been a blessing. "David's been driving her for close to two years now and knows her so well," Stoebe said.

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On Saturday, Elista Hanover faces a solid group of mares in a race that won't be a walkover given her post seven draw. Many of the mares she raced against in the Hambletonian Maturity will be back for the Steele, as well as mares she defeated in the July 26 leg of the Miss Versatility at the Meadowlands. Warrawee Michelle, second in the Maturity, hopes to turn the tables as last year's Hambletonian Oaks champion starts from post 11 in the second tier. She's one of four mares from the Ake Svanstedt stable in the field.

Trainer Luc Blais has two solid mares in Emoji Hanover (post five) and Drawn Impression (post nine). The latter was parked the entire way in the Hambletonian Maturity and still managed a fifth-place check.

Last year's Breeders Crown champion trotting mare Call Me Goo (post six) finished second in the Armbro Flight but has strung together a pair of stakes wins at the Meadowlands in advance of the Steele, annexing the Six Pack and Miss Versatility for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt. Call Me Goo picks up Tim Tetrick for Saturday's contest.

Bravo Angel S joins a host of Swedish-breds on the Hambletonian Day program with two in this field and three in the $1 million Hambletonian. The Per Engblom-trained daughter of Readly Express has trotted home powerfully in her last two Meadowlands starts and put a scare into Elista Hanover with an eye-catching 25 4/5 final quarter in last week's Miss Versatility.

The Cane Pace is listed as race five, one before the Steele on the 16-race Meadowlands afternoon program, and Madden Oaks hopes to continue his winning form, having landed the rail in a field of just six horses.

"Going into Saturday we feel like we have the best horse," said Cam Capone, who trains the sophomore sensation.

Capone was uttering the same words in advance of this year's Meadowlands Pace and driver Braxten Boyd drove the sophomore with ultimate confidence, ultimately getting crowded in the stretch while making a winning move and being placed first by the judges. There should be less traffic in this field given that few of the five rivals have been the kind of speed Madden Oaks has shown.

Capone has been relatively light on the training of Madden Oaks while prepping for the Cane. "He raced last Sunday (July 27), which was a good start," said Capone. "He basically got two weeks off, straight down time (after the Meadowlands Pace), and raced off a few days of work."

Madden Oaks won his prep in 1:52 by a measured head and while bettors at 1-20 may have been concerned with the margin, Capone and his driver were not.

"He performed just how we wanted him to," said Capone.

Madden Oaks, a winner in four of his nine starts this year with earnings above $514k, will look for his second major stakes win at the Meadowlands this year and bring a Triple Crown stake victory to his family. His dad Mark raced Allamerican Native in the 2003 Cane Pace contested at Freehold Raceway and finished third to No Pan Intended as the heavy favorite.

Madden Oaks' competition on Saturday includes some horses he's beaten before like Captain Optimistic, Manolete and Papis Pistol, as well as some new shooters like Sugar Man and Waffle Blue Chip.

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Stoebe's work won't be done until after the 13th race on Saturday since she'll be sending out a pair, including favored Diabolic Hill in the $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

"I've loved him since the first time I saw him at Concord Farms," said Stoebe of the $300,000 Lexington Selected purchase she made along with Mazza Racing Stables last fall.

"We changed his name to match his personality."

Thus far in three career starts Diabolic Hill, a son of Muscle Hill, has been more impressive with each of his winning performances and enters the final following a near-wire-to-wire 1:54 blowout from post 10 on July 25. Andrew McCarthy will drive from post one

"He's all business on the track," said Stoebe of Diabolic Hill.

Mega Shark (post eight) is Stoebe's other finalist, and while she's been satisfied with his efforts, the trainer has a more long-range attitude about his future. "I was glad we got into the final," Stoebe said. "He was 11th on points. He's still growing and I think we're going to get him some experience and try to point him towards his 3-year-old season."

Mega Shark has finished second, third and fourth in three lifetime starts and is a son of Tactical Landing.

The other one to watch in the field is Apex. The $525,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase was an easy winner in his last start and could give co-owner Jeff Snyder a Hambo/Sire Stakes double if Super Chapter takes the $1,000,000 event one race earlier.

The 16-race card at the Meadowlands gets underway at noon on Saturday.